Has your time at DU made you more liberal or less?

[ruggerson]

Explain.

[baby_mouse]

1. Significantly less.

SIGNIFICANTLY less.

[ulysses]

4. curious about why that is.

If you're willing to share.

[baby_mouse]

16. I'm not, I'm afraid. NT.

[tom_paine]

41. Oh PUH-LEEZE! Afraid of what? Of some jerks you don't know typing some crap?

Who cares what some jerks thousands of miles away tapping into computers say about you, including me? They don't even know who you are. Only the Bushies NSA and HS goons and their computer programs monitoring DU really know who we are, and hell, they'd move you DOWN the list after reading your explanation.

Afraid? C'mon.

Please explain yourself further. Swallow your fears nd explain yourself further.

Or at least explain your fear. Just what exactly are you afraid of here?

[Codeine]

77. I don't think babymouse meant she or he was in fear,

but more like "I'm afraid not." That's how I read it anyway.

[tom_paine]

79. Oh. Wups. Guess we won't know then. n/t

[ulysses]

49. afraid?

That's a little silly, don't you think? You think the peaceniks are going to come to Scotland and kick you in the shin for not being progressive enough?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Slightly more of an Anarchist than I was.

"The Fascists will shoot you.
The Conservatives will applaud the Fascists.
The Moderates will be watching the big game on TV.
The Liberals will cry over your grave and feel guilty for turning you in."

Old '60s saying.

[Irreverend IX]

15. And yet...

You think that people should be deprived of the means to shoot back at the fascists. Gun control is about as compatible with anarchism as Marilyn Manson concerts are with Southern Baptism. Oh, wait, I forgot, anarchists aren't required to be consistent. Haha.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

32. Or, violent.

Gandhi was an Anarchist.

[pnorman]

36. David Edelstadt, 19th Century Yiddish anarchist editor and poet:

Already I can see our golden future
when the state will be crowned;
Socialist policemen will crowd every corner
From the president on his throne
To the sheriff tightening his rope
-All will be socialists
What do you say to such a happy prospect?

Say what you will, the anarchists had a CLEARER vision.

David Edelstadt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Edelstadt

pnorman

[tularetom]

3. More - there are many good and kind folks here - wish I was more like them

I think the time I've spent here has taken some of the rough edges off my argumentative personality.

Made me a better listener.

[Liberal Gramma]

5. I couldn't be more liberal

than I was before I came to DU. During the dark days when the Conservatives seemed to have a strong majority, and all the news outlets were right-leaning or maybe right-center, DU was the only beacon of hope I had. Now I am giddy with the prospect of a Democratic majority and a Democratic president. Thanks, DU, for seeing me through the tough times!

[PDJane]

6. since I'm somewhat to the left of Ghandi,

It would have been hard to make me more liberal than I have been.

I think DU has educated me on some things that I hadn't bothered to think about, amused me when I needed it most, and sometimes made me irritated enough to just swear off the place for a day or two.

It hasn't changed my world view, however.

[rebel with a cause]

14. I'll save time and space and just agree with what you said.

Me too. ;)

[stimbox]

7. It's made me more radical.

I'm further to the left now than I was when I joined.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Not sure if it's a result of DU or the ** junta.. but I think I am getting even more liberal (if

possible) At the very least I'm madder and more depressed.

[msongs]

9. most dems are not all that liberal, at least in kucinichian terms nt

[earth mom]

10. DU enlightened me to MIHOP/LIHOP & other evils of TPTB. If anything I am more cynical than ever.

:tinfoilhat:

[Jed Dilligan]

11. I think it's given me a visceral dislike of the "moderates"

who manifest themselves here as authoritarians in Democrat's clothing. Does that make me more liberal? Not really. DU gives me a sense of what the different orientations are like as people. I find "moderates" to be particularly sadistic and punitive in their worldview.

[silverojo]

23. And extremists aren't?

I don't think you quite understand the word "moderate", LOL.

[EFerrari]

26. Speaking of understanding, liberal democrats are not extremists. n/t

[Jed Dilligan]

40. I said "moderates"--people who mix a little conservatism

with their liberalism. They are a distinct breed here, and they are usually seen promoting the marginalization or exclusion of some group they disdain.

[Zhade]

85. There are no Maoists or Stalinists here, so methinks you need to learn what "extremist" means...

...before embarrassing yourself further.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

12. Just an old Hippie here.

Overall, my views have not changed much, with the exception of guns which I think everyone should have and be allowed to carry since then. Our governers were lying to us in the 60's and they are lying to us now. Not much has changed.

[barbtries]

13. i don't think i've changed

it's the validation of knowing i'm not the only one that keeps me coming back and back and back again. and it's such a great resource for news and commentary.

[Lochloosa]

17. Glad to be the first to Rec. Not one of you has change my mind about

anything. :evilgrin:

[The Liberal Thinker]

18. I don't think it's changed me, I just realize that I'm not as liberal as I thought.

For example, when I hear people going off on how 9/11 was an inside job and that everyone who's not wildly left of center is pretty much Hitler, I realize that I'm unbelievably glad that faction is not in control of our party. There's progressive, and then there's just wacko-nuts.

[TBF]

20. Wacko-nuts here ...

I'm the same but I just found DU this year, when I actually became excited about politics again with Obama running. The great part is having other wacko-nuts to talk to. :)

[texasleo]

82. welcome to mah world

:evilgrin:

[TheWatcher]

44. Concern.

You Haz It.

[The Liberal Thinker]

53. What are you even saying, man?

You commented on my other post and said something of equal inanity. Do you just go around and pretend to make sense to people who aren't constantly bitter?

[TheWatcher]

57. No just calling it like it is.

You're a bright boy.

You stay around long enough, you'll figure it out.

Or not.

A Liberal Thinker.....

:rofl:

[The Liberal Thinker]

66. Well at least I'm thinking...

All you seem to be doing is making crass remarks after everything I post.

But I guess I'll bring myself to your level of debate.

Behold:

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

72. Wow, you're such a cunning linguist.

I am so cowed and humbled by the sheer brilliance of your retort.

Forgive me, O' Timeless Sage.

As far as the thinking thing goes.

Don't mistake that for delusion.

Run along now.

[The Liberal Thinker]

98. Oh, I see how it is.

You're just one of those people who thrives off of condescending behaviour. I should have known, and not even bothered.

And a good day to you, sir.

[Posteritatis]

83. You've got a low post count, so he thinks you're a secret conservative (nt)

[Zhade]

86. Secret?

NT!

[The Liberal Thinker]

99. I figured that's what it was.

[spoony]

75. How many threads do you slather with mindless "concern" posts?

Seriously this is the second I've seen in three minutes.

[TheWatcher]

78. Sorry, sometimes I just call it like I see it.

And some days I see more examples than others to call out.

As for your insult, please, kindly piss off.

Today isn't the day.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

54. Completely agree.

I used to think I was far left until I visited some of the forums on here. Lord!

:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

61. I'm surprised that it doesn't give you some pause to understand that

you are weighing highly questionable info given to you by this administration ---

i.e., that NORAD was just too busy, perhaps?

and that steel frame buildings burn to the ground -- and implode their substance in fine ash?



Meanwhile, the people who designed the building tell you that the WTC towers were designed to

not only absorb one impact of a commercial jet, but more. Demolition experts from around the

world tell you that it was DEMOLITION which brought the WTC towers down -- innovative, high

tech demolition probably by military. Scientists and engineers tell you that the 9/11 story

delivered by this administration is lies. Evidence from the Pentagon as to the clocks and

evidence that the explosion came from INSIDE the building. The 9/11 families protesting the

9/11 "whitewash."


And, yet, you're choosing to believe people who LIED you into the war in Iraq?

Let me guess . . . you also support the DLC?

[The Liberal Thinker]

67. All I have to say is...

How could an administration that was so good at keeping wraps on 9/11 have such a tough time keeping control over Iraq or the situation there?

How could an administration that somehow kept thousands of people (i.e. the people who went into the WTC in the dead of night carrying explosives around stripping the walls away and putting explosives on all 220 floors, the people who SAW them doing that) be unable to keep guns and money and explosives and ammo depots in Iraq secure?

If the adminstration was so evil to kill 3,000 Americans, and so efficient and secretive, why not kill the morons who made "Loose Change" before the evidence even got out? Don't you think that kid would have been dead already?

Guess what, the Twin Towers did withstand the impact of both planes. They couldn't withstand the heat of the fire. Now I know you're gonna throw some crazy number at me and say that the fires didn't burn hot enough to melt steel. Well guess what, the fires didn't need to be hot enough to liquify it. An already damaged building cannot stand up if an entire row of columns is softening up.

I guess the scientists and engineers you choose to listen to tell you that the WTC was demolished by the Bush Administration, but they're just as foolish and looking for a great story as you are.

And by the way, no, the Bush Administration and DLC suck. Maybe if you want to make friends and try to convince me of something, don't immediately pin me as a GOP sympathizer?

[TheWatcher]

73. You don't want to be convinced.

You want an acceptable, comfortable paradigm to wallow in.

It's debatable whether you are a concern troll, a GOP sympathizer, an apologist, a shill, etc.

Willfully ignorant, and uninterested in objectivity and full spectrum analysis?

Most definitely.

Graze on.

Don't bother boring me with your response. I guarantee I won't see it.

[defendandprotect]

80. Where do you see this administration having problems with "control" . . .???

Not only did they lie us into an "illegal" war --
We've been there more than five years now --
We're still in Afghanistan --
And, rumors are that Bush is getting reading either to attack Iran or
to encourage Israel to do it --

Did the Democratic Congress now pass legislation again re-funding the war?
Did the Democratic Congress now give protection to wiretapping?
Did the Democratic Congress take impeachment "off the table."
Did the Democratic Congress take warnings re an attack on Iran out of legislation?

And many more events would indicate that this president with ratings that are very,
very, low is still controlling government, Congress and our agencies ---
corrupting the DOJ, corrupting science, etal.

We've watched as the administration has refused to make witnesses available to
Congress --- thumbing their nose at subpeonas.

Re 9/11 . . .
A president has the power to stop investigations which we saw with Bush and 9/11 --
an investigation long delayed and then whitewashed.

It didn't take "thousands" of people to wire the WTC towers -- nor was it in the dead
of night. People in the building reported "work" ongoing --- strange work on floors
which were supposedly unoccupied. And the weekend before 9/11, there was a total shut
down of the WTC security with many reporting unfamiliar people going in and out of the
building --- people who looked like construction workers.
Certainly explosives were not put on 220 floors, but explosives were certainly attached
to the CORE of the building - it's central steel frame work.
And where necessary down the building.

As for those who specifically arranged this, no one ever said that there is the perfect crime.
That's why there are cover-ups and whitewashes.
As for those who have been investigating 9/11, there are many groups involved and I'm sure
many still investigating. I'm sure it is dangerous for them.

The idea that for the first time in history "fire" brought down a steel frame building is
just too nonsensical to even respond to anymore. If you haven't figured out the lie of
that at this point, you're just not interested in seeing fact. The only way to "soften"
the steel was with THERMITE and traces of that have been found in the debris.

How many of us want to deal with information that we have tyranny from within government?
How many witnesses and investigators and people challenging corrupt government have already
been killed? Have you noticed the count on journalists --- certainly an unpopular profession
with this administration.

We agree that the Bush administration and the DLC are corrupt ---
that's a start . . .



















All I have to say is...
How could an administration that was so good at keeping wraps on 9/11 have such a tough time keeping control over Iraq or the situation there?

How could an administration that somehow kept thousands of people (i.e. the people who went into the WTC in the dead of night carrying explosives around stripping the walls away and putting explosives on all 220 floors, the people who SAW them doing that) be unable to keep guns and money and explosives and ammo depots in Iraq secure?

If the adminstration was so evil to kill 3,000 Americans, and so efficient and secretive, why not kill the morons who made "Loose Change" before the evidence even got out? Don't you think that kid would have been dead already?

Guess what, the Twin Towers did withstand the impact of both planes. They couldn't withstand the heat of the fire. Now I know you're gonna throw some crazy number at me and say that the fires didn't burn hot enough to melt steel. Well guess what, the fires didn't need to be hot enough to liquify it. An already damaged building cannot stand up if an entire row of columns is softening up.

I guess the scientists and engineers you choose to listen to tell you that the WTC was demolished by the Bush Administration, but they're just as foolish and looking for a great story as you are.

And by the way, no, the Bush Administration and DLC suck. Maybe if you want to make friends and try to convince me of something, don't immediately pin me as a GOP sympathizer?

[LeftishBrit]

96. I don't think that thinking that 9/11 was/ wasn't an inside job, or similar theories, is a measure

of how left-wing you are.

Ultimately such theories are factually true or false, rather than an ideological issue.

Admittedly, being inclined to believe that 9/11 was an inside job is associated with distrusting Bush, which may be in its turn associated with being left-wing. On the other hand, some very far-right people also believe this theory and other similar ones.

[orleans]

19. i really don't know. someone said they wonder if it is because of

du or bush.

and it's hard to tell.

i don't think i'm more "liberal" but i'm far more politically aware. i've learned a lot at du. i'm a lot more pissed off than i ever was--but not because of du. (thank god for du--a place i can vent, question & learn, find solace.)

du has taught me that whatever i'm thinking/feeling/going through i am certainly not the only one. sometimes it really felt that way.

[JackRiddler]

21. What does "liberal" mean?

[Systematic Chaos]

22. I came here because BUHS got on the teevee and said NOT to.

When he said something about not paying attention to the rumors on the internets, I went online and started looking for -- do you believe it? -- rumors!

My first place I visited was a Drudge Report parody site called the Grudge Report. There was a lot of info there which confirmed my belief that the Twin Towers had been imploded. On that site, or perhaps on a second site, was a link to DU. I've been a member for over 6 years now.

[silverojo]

24. Slightly less liberal

I used to think I was really liberal, but I've found people here who are way out in left field. I've realized I'm not as liberal as I once believed; I'm just an old-school FDR type Democrat.

Not many of us left, I don't think.

[shanti]

25. i've always been liberal

nothing has changed...

[otherlander]

27. Other

DU hasn't changed my opinions, but other things have, so I have, incidentally, become more radical since I got here. Or maybe I haven't become more radical. Maybe I've just realized how radical my visions are when compared to the way things currently are. It's all about love. If I wasn't in love I wouldn't care about politics.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. I'm more something. Maybe it's impassioned or fervent?

I don't know if it's due to DU or our political climate though.

I was always a liberal. I'm not honestly sure if I'm more so or not. I do, however, know my liberal concerns are more specific and informed.

For every bit the first four years of bush changed me, the last 3.5 have changed me more. It's been an extremely unpleasant, and even painful journey. Any person that's been paying attention won't be the same coming out of this as they were going in.

I am more something. Whatever it is, DU has been a part of the progression. As such they may hold a portion of the responsibility. Be that good or bad.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. WAY more liberal!

Better educated too, and more knowledgable to boot...

K&R

:patriot:

[seabeyond]

30. i thought i was liberal. my conservative family has called me a "flaming liberal"

and much much more. the last year here on du has had me reevaluating some of my thoughts on social issues. i have also never been fond of the authoritarian liberal. (nanny state).

[struggle4progress]

31. No effect on my ideological tendencies -- but a big improvement in my devotion

to fact-based political thinking

[sam sarrha]

33. ACTUALLY JUST MORE DEPRESSED.. but i love all the information here, thanx

[pnorman]

34. About the same.

I have essentially the same "slant" that I started with 6 years ago. But due to the back & forth discussion here on DU, I'm a LOT BETTER INFORMED!

pnorman

[Richard Steele]

35. More on some issues, unchanged on others. nm

[Kitty Herder]

37. If by liberal, you mean left-leaning, then it has made me less liberal in

what I express. DU has shown me that is unacceptable to express opinions that are too far left, even in the company of other "liberals." So I moderate myself a bit.

[tom_paine]

42. That's a pity. I say, fly your flag. Fuck what the DUers Coincidence Theorists

and the DU Status Quo brigade say.

FLY YOUR FLAG! Stand and be true!

[Echo In Light]

51. Exactly. Articulate your inner voice

Sometimes stating an unpopular view can be very liberating for others who likewise hold to that view but are afraid to put it out there.

[EFerrari]

38. Not more liberal, just more cranky.

lol

:hi:

[ruggerson]

39. lol

:hug:

[tom_paine]

43. More liberal, though I try hard to keep myself anchored to the moderate center.

Problem is, whenever one side gets too much power and/or begins to abuse it (the two usually go hand in hand), the opposite end AUTOMATICALLY seems to make more sense.

If hardcore Lefties/Communists did to this country what the Bushies did, I have no doubt I would be over at Free Republic, doing the same thing I am doing here now.

I call it "The Seesaw Effect" and I have watched it and lived it these last seven years, even while trying to be self-aware about it.

Goddamn, with all this Bushie criminality and abuse of power, even the World Socialst Website makes a helluva lot more sense than CNNFOXMSNBC (KO and sometimes Abrams excepted).

Does that mean I am embracing hardcore socialism or communism? Hell NO! It means that, IMHO, The Seesaw Effect, as I call it, is real.

So if I am to be honest, my answer HAS to be "more liberal", though I have tried hard to keep reminding myself of my center-left core beliefs, my distrust of extremism both Left and Right, my distrust of all those who wield power, for it corrupts.

But the Bushies have so discredited right-wing and even by extension center-right ideals with their serial feloniousnes and outright treasons, their many fraud and thefts adding up to trillions of dollars and our future looted.

Add to that the creepy way Pelosi, Reid, and the Capitulation Bunch have discredited supposed moderates (but they aren't moderates at all, I tell myself, they are capitulators and collaborators with one of the most criminal regimes the Developed World has seen in the last 250 years, though not nearly the most violent...for the moment).

Yes, definitely more liberal. It is somewhat inevitable considering the moral bankruptcy of the Right and the supposed Center.

But I try to remember, this is somewhat artificial, and if this emergency ever ends and the Old American Republic is restored to some health, I hope my core beliefs and moderation would reassert themselves.

[TheWatcher]

45. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

[LeftishBrit]

46. More so in some ways...

I've always been left-wing and if any single thing made me more left-wing it wasn't DU; it was Thatcher. But DU has made me more aware of what can happen when a government is REALLY right-wing, and more firmly set against such things. Bush is much worse than Thatcher, and there was a time when I didn't think any leader could be in a democratic country. He truly scares me!

I have admittedly also become more aware of the danger of progressives being tempted by the anti-establishment Right; especially after seeing a few of the websites that have been linked here occasionally. Some might say that this makes me less left-wing; but I don't think so - it just reinforces my vigilance against the right in all its manifestations.

[rucky]

47. It depends on what I'm reacting to.

So I'll have to say "more liberal"

[tavalon]

48. More liberal?

Not really. More informed? Absolutely. This place took me from a once every four year Presidential election voter to someone who could actually be described as a wonk.

[LWolf]

50. I'm not sure.

I think I'm pretty much where I've always been. I just never new that I was the "leftist fringe" until I came to DU. I always thought of myself as centrist, lol, until I learned at DU that I am an idealist, which is supposedly negative, I am one of those who will sacrifice the good for perfect, I will never be mainstream, I am a product of the "excesses" of the 60s and 70s, etc., etc., etc..

I will say that DU has changed in the 5+ years that I've been here. DU is much more centrist and mainstream these days; perhaps the "underground" part of the name is no longer accurate.

[wryter2000]

52. I had to click other

I haven't changed since finding DU, but I can't say no one has ever influenced me. 1) the information I get here has made me more informed and eloquent (to the extent that I am), and 2) other outlooks have given me new ways of thinking of things. But, overall, I haven't become more or less liberal.

The main change, though, is that before I found DU, I was beginning to think everything I knew about this country was wrong. It was bewildering and disheartening. Now, I know my education was right, and people in this country have been brainwashed.

[MedleyMisty]

55. No one has influenced me

I'm not so much into being told what to think.

However, I am not quite exactly where I was before I came to DU - I am still at the same place on the political compass (far bottom left corner) but I have a deeper understanding of it now. DU has certainly taught me a lot - not the least of which is that many people who call themselves "liberal" are quite capable of being just as elitist (and I mean real elitism, not "OMG u kin red and spel gud and u dont watch the TV or drive a Hummer, u mus be a leetist."), prejudiced, and conformist as any conservative.

I have also learned a lot of really useful things and had my perspective broadened on quite a few issues. And I've observed and learned a lot about human psychology.

So I have taken in what DU has to offer and learned from it and gained a deeper understanding of it, but I am still at the same position politically - which is far to the left of most people on DU. But like I said - it's not quite exactly where I was before DU so I can't vote for that answer.

[Atman]

56. Neither, only more frustrated.

:sigh:

.

[Political Heretic]

58. Define what would be "more" or "less" liberal

[defendandprotect]

59. I'm pretty much where I was --- but I'm tremendously LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE . ..!!!

[Deja Q]

60. Define 'liberal'. Until then, none of us can fully explain.

[Buzz Clik]

62. Less liberal for sure. The extremist idiots here are a total reality check.

[onethatcares]

63. how could anyone

become more or less liberal? Hell, you either believe in uplifting people and lending a hand to those less fortunate, or you don't.

[MindPilot]

69. If only it were that simple

The vast majority of people on the planet "believe in uplifting people and lending a hand to those less fortunate". The differences arise in figuring out how do we get that done?

The neo-cons I work with are not bad people; they genuinely believe that the Iraq invasion will ultimately bring peace, prosperity and freedom to the ME. Nothing wrong with their motives, but their tactics really suck.

[MindPilot]

64. Less liberal -- or at least how I define myself around the term

I get a lot of good information from DU, met some friends and made some enemies.

DU has also exposed me to those who thoroughly fulfill the "liberal"--anti-gun, feminist, vegan, environmentalist, peacenik--stereotypes; and they are every bit as off-putting as their equal and opposite counterparts at that other site.

[bridgit]

65. Not much of a change, really. Cept in this regard...

The charter of DU being one that promotes Liberal/Progressives issues is a good one, that needs to be nurtured and renewed.

But the too often insatiable condescension, finger pointing, high-sided disregard, 'ignore'ance featured intolerance, and word product that does little more than seek to illicit responses from the certain & specific fan bases that stroke the lib/pro characters & egos of people that consider themselves lib/pro has made me far more aware of just how it was that America has been commandeered by neocon thought, and think tanks.

It happened while we were fighting with, discounting, and ignoring each other :(

[eek MD]

68. It's made me realize that the right doesn't have the market cornered on pompous jerkwads. :)

It has made me realize that there are many pompous, childish, arrogant jerks on the far left, just like there is on the far right. I agree with most of the conclusions on most of the topics....but the bitterness, hatred, and ugliness of some of the people here toward anyone that doesn't march in lockstep is beyond the pale, and not much different from the hatred and ugliness at Free Republic. In the end, we still are human beings who need to think for ourselves...we're not pod people who say "yes sir" to every cause-du-jour, and we don't use DU as the place to get our marching orders. Many here seem to forget that.

I wouldn't say that it's made me any "more" or "less" liberal... but it has changed my view that most progressives hold themselves to a higher standard than conservatives.

[Peacetrain]

70. call it arrogant.. call it delusional.. call it pie in the sky

I came here to share my own belief system.. with those who may be somewhat on my page.. :)

[windoe]

71. I picked 'other'

since being on DU I have gained greater insight to my own identity and points of view, being on this forum has clarified what I feel and think as an individual and in relationship to other people. I have learned a lot of details and facts, but my basic stance has remained the same; liberal to begin with.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

74. More informed.

I'm not sure whether that makes me more or less liberal than I was 4 years ago. So I'd hafta say it's a wash.

[Codeine]

76. Just as liberal, but bothered by some of my fellows.

The anti-science, conspiracy-theory, and woo-woo faction is embarrassingly strong here, and the creeping tendency of many to embrace "strongman" figures who supposedly represent the Left is dismaying.

I mean, for fuck's sake -- we have Mugabe apologists here! The Chavez and Castro wing is silly enough, but the Mugabe Groupies are something else.

OTOH, there are tons of genuinely progressive folks here whose posts and thoughts I treasure and whose knowledge and wisdom are a tonic. Hats off to these wonderful folks! :hi: :grouphug: :pals: :headbang: :patriot:

[Zhade]

87. See, you had me until the Chavez crack.

You probably think "The Revolution Will Be Televised" was propaganda.

:eyeroll:

[Codeine]

93. I'm not all that anti-Chavez

but I'm not pro-Chavez either. I don't feel like he is anything more than an opportunistic politician while the rest of DU thinks he's the best leader ever.

I trust no leaders, to be fair.

[texasleo]

81. It's a tarp!

:scared:

[Zhade]

84. More - learning how to uncover the truth made me better-informed, and the more informed one is...

...the more liberal they become.

[Forkboy]

88. I think I'm more liberal than I was when I joined, but I'm not sure it's a result of DU.

More a result of seven years of a psychotic fumbledick running the country into the ground.

On the other hand, I've always been a flaming liberal, so maybe I'm the same and it just seems I'm more liberal in contrast to the direction the country lurched in back in 2000.

[WildEyedLiberal]

89. Quite a bit less, I believe

I guess it depends on how you define "liberal." I don't feel less "liberal," but there are certain official orthodoxies (which often IMO have little or nothing to do with classic liberalism) which I find myself moving farther and farther away from the longer I'm here. Health care is and always has been my number one issue - universal health care now. It is literally a matter of life and death for American citizens. But there are so many other "issues" that are harangued about endlessly on DU by people who are so ridiculously "leftist" as to make FDR look conservative. There are issues about which I unthinking accepted "leftist" orthodoxy before I came to DU which now I have come to seriously reconsider after seeing the overemotional and illogical screeching by certain of those far leftists here. I thought I was pretty far left, and on some issues I suppose I am, but the more time I spend around the actual far left, the more I realize how little I have in common with them. Radicals of any stripe turn me off.

[solinvictus]

90. Less liberal..

in the sense that I've been exposed to the liberal stereotypes being the shrill,gun-grabbing "ban them all" types who are just as totalitarian in their worldview as the whackjob Republicans they hate. I sincerely believe that if it was within their power, they'd abide by a police state to enforce their vision. Kind of like the Dead Kennedy's song "California Uber Alles".

*EDIT*- Oh, and the entire attitude I see toward flyover country here. I know it's a generalization to the umpteenth degree, but the entire "Why won't you idiotic, inbred, redneck gun-toters get with the program? Can't you see we're fighting for you?" attitude is off-putting. Seriously, in the Gungeon, someone posted "At least I live in a civilized Northeastern state." as a response to a pro-gun thread. Way to open up the Democratic Big Tent!! You know, not everyone lives in New York City, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or California nor do they want to do so. It just perpetuates the snippy liberal elitist stereotype.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

91. I went with number 3

I agree with the vast majority of posts here, it's just the ones like "The troops are all murderers who should be tried for war crimes" and "If you watch pornography, you hate all women" posts that make me run for the hills.

Then again, who's to define what is the "liberal" position on those issues?

[Zynx]

92. Less so. I reacted fairly strongly against the most extreme elements including

conspiracy theorists and supporters of people like Mugabe.

[Sheets of Easter]

94. Much more liberal, but more tempered with reason.

I say that because there are some WAY irrational people 'round here.

[Prism]

95. Depends Who's Posting

Which seems like an odd thing to say, but oftentimes my ideas are changed when I hear them coming from someone else's mouth. It's like how you hear your own voice one way, everyone else hears your voice another, and then you hear yourself recorded and think, "No way I sound like that!"

It's a bit like that. Sometimes I see my own arguments and ideas and attitudes reflected in the posters here, and I'll think, "Wait, is that what I believe?" And then I become more conservative or liberal on the issue as a result.

It's a bit of a wash overall, but if I had to pin it down, I'd say I've become more liberal when it comes to supporting various pieces of government policy and less liberal on political issues. For example, I'm now more supportive of the government handling universal health care and less supportive of identity politics (they left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth during the primaries, and I find I have little patience left over for a lot of the nonsense).

If all of that makes sense.

[mmonk]

97. Hard to tell if it was the government's hard turn to rightwing radicalism

or DU. Probably a little of both.